Black-cheek Threefin
Enneapterygius rufopileus
- Usual depth1–11 m
- Water temperature19–29 °C
- Best monthsFebruary
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Susan Prior, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Enneapterygius rufopileus, the blackcheek threefin, Lord Howe black-head triplefin or redcap triplefin, is a species of triplefin blenny in the genus Enneapterygius. It was described by Edgar Ravenswood Waite in 1904. It occurs in the western Pacific Ocean off Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Enneapterygius rufopileus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 19 records
- February: 67 records
- March: 13 records
- April: 18 records
- May: 15 records
- June: 7 records
- July: 2 records
- August: 14 records
- September: 17 records
- October: 11 records
- November: 23 records
- December: 18 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–11 m · Deepest record: 18 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 19–29 °C
Photos
(c) Susan Prior, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Black-cheek Threefin, Blackcheek Threefin, Lord Howe Black-head Triplefin, Redcap Triplefin
Other scientific names: Tripterygion rufopileum, Vauclusella rufopilea
Similar species
Blackthroat TriplefinEnneapterygius atrogulare
Highfin ThreefinEnneapterygius tutuilae
Yellow triplefinEnneapterygius abeli
Hawaiian Blackhead TriplefinEnneapterygius atriceps
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 1,072 open-data records from 1916 to 2015.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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